Torch controlling fixture for flame cutting machines



J. M LAUCHLAN TORCH CONTROLLING FIXTURE FOR FLAME CUTTING MACHINES May3, 1949.

Z-Sheefls-Sheet 1 Filed June 14, 1945 Joizn Miguel Zan v E7 5 y 1949' J.MLAUCHLAN 2,468,938

TORCH CONTROLLING FIXTURE FOR FLAME CUTTING MACHINES Filed June 14, 19452 Sheets-Sheet 2 ll lll.

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Patented May 3, 1949 TORCH CONTROLLING FIXTURE For: FLAME CUTTINGMACHINES John McLanchlan, Royal Oak; Mich assignorlo Houdailie-HersheyCorporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application June14, 1945, Serial No. 599,469

1 Claim.

My invention relates to shape cutting machine by which the cutting isdone by flame, such as oxyacetylene flame, for cutting large area partsfrom plates of forgings, as, for example, armor plates. In machines ofthis type a tracer head carries a torch supporting fixture and issupported by a pantograph linkage for travel under cam control forapplication of the flame along the desired cutting line determined bythe cam. My invention concerns particularly an improved torch supportingand controlling fixture for machines of this type. I

An important object of the invention is to provide a torch supportingfixture or holder adjustable through a relatively wide range and adaptedparticularly for cutting circular holes in work to the desired bevelangles.

A further object is to provide an adjustable fixture or holder on whicha torch nozzle is adjustable and where such adjustment may be made forvarying the bevel angle while the tracer head which supports the fixturefollows a cam which determines the line of cutting on the work.

A further object is to provide a fixture on which a single flame torchis adjustable during operation of the machine for straight, angular orbevel cutting while the torch is being moved bodily along thepredetermined cutting line on the work.

The above referred to and other features of the invention are embodiedin the structure shown on the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is side elevation of a tracer head structure and the torchsupporting fixture thereon;

Figure 2 is a view on plane 1III Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a View on plane IIIIII Figure 1..

The fixture shown on the drawings is carried by the magnetic tracer headA of a flame cutting machine, this head being supported from apantograph structure (not shown) so as to be movable horizontally in anydesired direction to follow a cam or pattern in accordance with which aflame cut is to be made. A motor driven shaft structure Hi extends downthrough the head and has secured to its lower end a driving roller H forengagement with pattern cams, this roller being kept magnetized bysuitable magnet means (not shown) within the head A. On the drawings, anannular cam 12 is shown for guidance of the head and torch fixturethereon for cutting of a circular hole in a work piece it, which may bea piece of armor plate. This cam is rigidly mounted on the work iece andin the arrangement shown, the head A is adjusted vertically.

at its end rollers H :for engaging with the outer edge of the cam it,these studs at their outer ends being threaded to receive abutment nuts18 for springs l9 which encircle the studs between the nuts and thecarriage 15., these springs tending to shift the carriage for pressureengagement of the rollers l1 and the cam l2. A toggle struc ture 2i!between the carriage and the block it operableto shift'th'e carriage l6outwardly for release of the rollers from the cam.

Extending from the side of the, head A opposite the block it is ahorizontal plate or shelf .2I which may be integral with the headhousing or may be secured thereto in any suitable manner. At its outerend this shelf has a vertical clamping sleeve or collar 22 securedthereto through which extends the vertical leg 23 of a supportingbracket whose horizontal leg 24 extends below the shelf and the head A.These bracket legs are tubular for the extension therethrough of tubingor hose 25 for conducting the combusion medium to the torch which willbe described later. Secured to the leg 25 is a rack 25 engaged by a gear21 on the shaft 28 journaled o-n the collar 22 and having a hand wheelor knob 29 on its outer end for turnihg of the shaft for engagement ofthe gear with the rackfor vertical adjustment of the supporting bracketstructure. The collar 22 is preferably split so that it may be clampedby belts or screws Sill to the bracket structure to lock it to thecollar after vertical setting thereof by turning of the wheel 29.

on the horizontal arm 24 of the torch supporting bracket is mounted thetorch holder collar 3| which is split'on its lower side, the rear half.terminating in a flange 32 through which screws 33 e'xte'ndfo'rthreading into the supporting body 34 depending from the front halfwhereby the collar may be clamped rigidly to the arm 24 after setting ofthe collar upon the arm. On top of the arm and parallel therewith is arack bar 35 rigidly secured to the arm and thisrackbar is engaged by agear 36 within the enlargement 3.! on the collar, the gear being mountedon the end of a shaft 38 terminating in a hand wheel-.39; After theclampingscrews 33 havebeen wit drawn to unclarnp the collar the collarmay be adjusted longitudinally along the arm 2.4 byst'urm ing of thehand wheel 39, and after such adjustment the holder collar is reclampedto the arm.

The body 34 depends from the collar 3| and terminates in a head 40 whichsupports the link or plate 4| on which the torch 42 is mounted. A screw43 extends through the upper end of the plate 4| for threading into thesupporting body 34, the plate having diametrally opposite tongues 44engaging in corresponding grooves 45 in the head so that, when the screwis tightened, the plate will be rigidly held to the body 34 againstrotation thereon.

At its lower end the plate 4| has the cylindrical opening 46therethrough for receiving the cylindrical portion 41 of a stud 48extending from the body 49 of the torch 42. Outwardly of thiscylindrical stud portion, the stud has the polygonal or square portion50 for receiving a washer having a corresponding polygonal openingtherethrough, the stud at its outer end being cylindrical and threadedto receive a nut 52. The torch 42 may thus be rotated for setting in thedesired angular position relative to the plate 4!, to be locked in suchset position by the nut 52, the washer turning with the torch and havinga scale strip 53 secured thereto for cooperation with a pointer 54 onthe plate 4|, The axis of the gear 36 and the axis of the screw 43 andof the stud 49 are in a common plane at right angles to the axis of thebracket arm 24, and when the torch 42 is adjusted on the plate 4| forvertical cutting by the flame from the torch nozzle 55, the nozzle axiswill be in this common plane and then the central or zero point on thescale band 53 will be at the pointer 54, the scale indications readingin opposite directions from zero. By means of this scale, the torch maybe readily adjusted on the plate 4| for setting of the nozzle for thedesired angle of out. On the torch body are coupling heads 56 and 5'!for hose connection for delivery of combustion elements, such asacetylene gas and oxygen, to the torch body for flow through the nozzlefor ignition to produce the cutting flame. As shown, the hose orconductors 25 for connection with the coupling heads 56 and 51 extendingthrough the tubular arms 23-24 of the supporting bracket structure.

Figure 1 shows the driving roller H on the tracer head in engagementwith the inner edge of a cam ring, which may be circular for cutting ofcircular holes in work, such as armor plates. The common planehereinbefore referred to, which extends through the axis of the gear 36and the axes of the screw 43 and stud 48 is shown also as extendingthrough the axis of the driving roller and the axis of the tracer headA, the scale band 53 indicating zero as the axis of the nozzle 55 isalso in this common plane, as shown by the full lines on Figure 1. Forholding the holder clamp 3| on the arm 24 in this position with thevarious axes referred to all in a common plane, a latch bolt 58 ispreferably provided, this bolt being movable in the housing arm 59extending radially from the clamp collar for projection through anopening 60 in this collar into the opening 6| in the arm 24, the stemfor the bolt terminating in a knob 62, and a spring 63 tending to holdthe bolt in the arm opening 6|.

When the driving shaft l0 through the tracer head is now driven by asuitable motor for rotation of the driving roller l, the tracer headwith the torch supporting fixture thereon will revolve in a circle underguidance of the cam ring I2 for flame cutting through the kerf line 64which line of cut is at right angles to the work piece l3, and

with the circular cam I2, a cylindrical piece will be cut out of thework piece which has a cylindrical edge, leaving a cylindrical circularedge around the hole which is left in the work.

The diameter of the out, with the setting shown on Figure 2, wouldsubstantially be the inner diameter of the cam ring 42 less the diameterof the driving roller N. If a larger or smaller diameter cut is desiredto be made, the clamping bolts 33 will be released and the latch bolt 58will be withdrawn from the bracket arm 24 and the hand wheel 39 willthen be turned for shift of the cam collar 3! on the arm 24 for thedesired cut diameter, and the clamp bolts retightened for holding theclamp collar in its set position, and the machine is then started forthe desired out if instead of a cylindrical cut, an angular or bevel cutis desired, the torch i2 is adjusted on the plate ll for setting of thenozzle axis for the desired bevel cut, the dotted lines on Figure 1showing the torch set for a forty-five degree bevel cut. After thissetting of the torch, the clamping collar 22 around the bracket arm 23is released and the hand wheel 29 is turned to shift the bracket down tobring the end of the nozzle 55 in proper cutting position above the workpiece for flame cutting along the bevel kerf line 55. By the setting ofthe holder clamp 3| on the arm the desired diameter of the cuttingcircle may be determined.

With the supporting fixture structure shown and described, a completecircular plate or bevel hole may be cut in a piece of work such as armorplate, and with the adjustments provided, the bevel angle can be variedwhile the fixture follows the cam.

I have shown a practical and eflicient embodiment of the features of myinvention but I do not desired to be limited to the exact construction,arrangement and operation shown and described as changes may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention as defined in theappend-ed claim.

I claim as my invention:

A flame cutting attachment for the tracer head of a flame cuttingmachine, comprising a supporting shelf extending radially from thetracer head, a sleeve on said shelf with its axis parallel with thetracer axis, an L-bracket having a vertical leg and a lateral legextending on the lower end thereof, said vertical leg extending upwardlythrough said sleeve, a rack bar on said vertical arm engaging saidsleeve to hold said vertical arm against rotation, a gear journaled onsaid sleeve to mesh with said rack whereby said vertical. arm may belongitudinally adjusted in said sleeve for vertical setting of saidbracket relative to work to be cut, a holder sleeve receiving saidhorizontal bracket arm, a rack secured on said horizontal arm andengaging with said sleeve for holding said sleeve against rotation onsaid arm, a gear on said sleeve meshing with said rack bar whereby saidsleeve may be set in longitudinai direction on said lateral arm, anozzle structure pivoted on said holder for angular setting thereof forthe desired angle of application of the nozzle structure flame to thework to be cut whereby straight edge cutting or bevel edge cutting maybe performed on the work during travel of the tracer head.

J OHN MCLAUCHLAN.

(Preferences on following page) 5 6 REFERENCES CITED Number Name DateThe following references are of record in the gvhmstede file of thispatent: agile! y 194 2,296,832 Bowers Sept. 29, 1 942 UNITED STATESPATENTS 5 2,377,844 Stone June 5, 1945 Number Name D ate1925 FOREIGNPATENTS 1 554 101 Krebs et a1 Sept. 1

Number Country Date 2917,43) Anders-m 1935 230,571 Great Britain Mar.19, 1925 2,107,396 Schoitz Feb. 8, 1938

